Drivers in the UK could be facing the worst pothole season ever.
The experts at Warranty Direct's Pothole website believe the prolonged wet weather storms and subsequent freezing conditions the UK has experienced recently will take their toll on the country's roads.
Drivers traditionally find the roads to be more uneven between January and April and Warranty Direct estimates that the damaged caused by the hazards in 2013 amounted to around £730 million, which is a rise of 159 per cent in the past three years.
By checking more than 150,000 insurance policies between 2010 and 2013, the company found an average of 6.6 per cent of cars have suffered axle or suspension damage in an event linked to either potholes or road defects.
As the Met Office has warned parts of southern England experienced around twice the usual amount of rainfall in December and local authorities have already suggested 200,000 existing potholes need repair, drivers are in for a bumpy ride.
Rory Buckley of Warranty Direct’s potholes.co.uk said: "The worst is yet to come. This wet weather will be saturating roads right across the UK with existing potholes channelling water to weaken the road's substructure, literally paving the way for even more potholes and defects to arise."
Heavy rainfall has an undermining effect on the structural layers of the road, which when coupled with the weight of traffic causes more abrasions and potholes on the surface.
Motorists were also told to be on the look out for invisible potholes, filled with rainwater, which can be much harder to spot in the dark winter driving conditions and can be very jarring to a car.
Mr Buckley stated: "Potholes and other road defects can cause sudden jarring or regular jarring which accelerates wear and tear to axle and suspension components, often leading to failure," adding that damage to wheel rims and punctured tyres are also caused by travelling at speed over a pothole.
Posted by Fred Mason